Her father, Navy Petty Officer Michael Anderson, had been in Iraq on a rebuilding mission. A naval reservist at the Jacksonville-based Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 14 -- one of the units nicknamed Seabees -- Anderson had enlisted in the reserves as an act of post-9-11 patriotism.

Now, a chaplain and an officer stood at the door. Please tell me he's just injured, not killed, Karen thought.

Chief Petty Officer Mark Campbell motioned for Karen to sit down. He had a script to follow; he could not soften the message. It had to be clear: Your husband is dead.

Karen covered her face with her hands. "No, no, God, no."

She knew it wasn't Campbell's fault. But right then, she needed someone to blame.

"He's gone, he's gone," she told Brandi and took her hand. As Brandi wailed, her mother led her into the living room.

One hundred miles away in Auburndale, Alayna and her mother, Donna Ginther, had just left home to run an errand. Alayna wore the dog tags her Seabee dad had sent her from Iraq, for good luck. She never took off them off, not even when she slept.

Suddenly realizing she had left her checkbook at home, Donna turned back and found Navy officers in her driveway.

She froze.

"Promise me you won't get out of the car," Donna said before slamming the door behind her.